Combined couch and bath-tub.



Patented July 3, I900.

I. E. CARMAN, COMBINED COUCH AND BATH TUB;

(Application filed Oct. 28, 1899'.

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(No Model) WITNESSES, W4 dd m: uonms PETERS co. PNO'l'p-UYHO"WASNINGTON. n. c

No. 652,744. Patented July 3, I900.

. l. E. CARMAN. COMBINED COUCH AND BATH TUB.

. (Application filed Oct. 28, 1899.) (No Model.) 4 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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. Patented July 3, I900.

No. 652,744. 5.0mm.

COMBINED COUCH AND BATH TUB (Application filed cm. as, Isak.)

4 Sheets-Sheet 3.

(No Model.)

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No. 652,744. Patented luly3,'|900. l. E. CARMAN.

'COMBINED COUCH 'AND BATH TUB.

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IRVIFG E. OARMAN, OF ELLENVILLE, NEW YORK.

Q OMB INED QOUCH AND BATH-TUB.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letter Patent No. 652,744, dated July 3,1900.

' Application filed October 28,1899. Serial No. 735,098. (NomodeL)others skilled in the art to which it apper tains to make and use thesame.

My invention consists of certain new anduseful improvements involved inthe construction and combination of parts necessary to provide acombined lounge and bath-tub. One object of my invention is to providein compact, convenient, and readily accessible form the two necessaryhousehold articles above mentioned. 4

A further object, among others, is to provide easily-controlled andreadily-accessible means for heating the water within the bathtub in theabsence of the usual range connections.

A further object of my invention is to enable almost anyperson toprovide the-necessary parts required to form a .perfect bathtub, whichmay be cheaply manufactured and readily assembled in their respectiveoperative positions, as will be hereinafter pointed out.

By reference to the following specification and the accompanyingdrawings it will be readily apparent that the parts of my combinedlounge and bath-tub are so constructed and united that they will havethe appearance when assembled of being a lounge when in a closedposition, therebymaking. it possible to. entirely dispense with aseparate and distinct room to be used solely as a bathroom, therebyenabling the space within the dwelling to be more perfectly economized.By properly utilizing the space within the upper part of the bath-tub Ifi'ndthat it is possible to reduce the height of the lounge to thedesired point, inasmuch as I am enabled to so dispose the springsusually employed to support the top of the lounge that they, togetherwith the necessary supporting frame or casing therefor, will rest withinthe upper portion of the tub when the lid or upper portion of the loungeis brought down in a closed position.

Briefly stated, my invention may be said to consist in the details ofoonstructionneces sary to accommodate and harmonize the bathtub and itsaccessories with the usual ad-' 'juncts of a lounge in such a way thatsaid parts will not in any wise conflict with each other.' I g In theaccompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my combinedlounge and bath-tub, showing the same in 'an open position. Fig. 2 is alongitudinal section of Fig. 3 on line w 00. Fig. 3 is a transversesection on line y y of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective detail of thepreferred means to be employed in providing a support for the springsused to reinforce the upper or upholstered portion of the'lounge. 5 is asectional view, on an enlarged scale, illustrating the lid in a closedposition and showing how said lid is locked. Figs. 6 and 7 are thedevices employed to lock the lid of the lounge in engagement with thebody portion. Figs. 8, 9, and 10 illustrate different forms of con=struction which may be adoptedinproviding the spring employed to throwthe'lid slightly upward when the catches are released. Fig.

.11 is a perspective detail view showing another forrnof heating devicewhich may be employed to bring the water in the tub to the desiredtemperature. Fig. 12 illustrates in cross-section the several partsemployed to form what I term my built-up tub, said parts being shown inan assembled position. Fig. 13 is'afpersp'ective' detail View of thehanger or main support employed to hold the other portions of mybuilt-up tub. Fig. 14 is a sectional view illustrating the several partsshown in Fig. 12 slightly separated from each other.

The essential features of novelty of'my invention and their necessarycooperating 'ac cessories will for convenience be referred to bydesignating-numerals, of which 1 indicates the body orbaseIportion-of-mycombined lounge and bath-tub, while 2 designates thelid thereof, said parts comprising the frame or outer portion of mycombined lounge and bath-tub, the same being properly secured together,as by suitable hinges 3, whereby the lid may be freely raised to exposethe interior portion of the body, within which I mount the bath-tubproper, 4, which may consist of any preferred material-as zinc, tin,porcelain, or the likeand is held within the base portion by anysuitable devices, as by the frame 5, which may be formed integral withthe tub or separately constructed and is preferably provided at the headend of the tub with the recesses 6, designed for the reception of soap,brushes, or other desired accessories of the bath.

It will be observed that the base portion 1 is of sufficient extent tofreely receive the bath-tub proper and at the same time leave the endreceptacles 7 and 8. The receptacle 7 consists :simply of a removabletray designed to receive the depending casing 9, secured to thecontiguous part of the lid and adapted to contain a row of springsemployed to support the contiguous upholstery. Since the tray 7 isremovable, it follows that the space below the same may be shaped into asuitable receptacle for towels, clothing, &c., thereby enabling thisspace to be utilized.

\Vithin the receptacle 8, which, as will be seen by reference to Fig. 2,is enlarged at its lower end, I dispose the heating-paraphernalia,comprising the water-tight chamber or reservoir10,whichis supported inanysuitable way, as by the legs 11, and communicates with the interiorof the bath-tub by the upper and lower pipes 12 and 13, respectively.Beneath the water chamber or reservoir 10 I locate the burner 14, whichis connected by the pipe 15 with the oil-reservoir 1G,properlysupported, as by the bracket 17. The reservoir 16 may be employed tohold in reserve any suitable liquid fluid-as gasolene, coal-oil, or thelike which maybe delivered to the burner through the pipe 15 by openingthe valve 18. It will be further understood that I reserve the right toemploy any desired means to heat the water within the reservoir, asordinary illuminating-gas may be delivered to the burner 14 by suitablepipe connections. By disposing the pipes 12 and 13 one above the other,as shown in Fig. 2, itis obvious thata complete circulation is set upbet-ween the reservoir 10 and the water within the bath-tub, inasmuch asthe hot water will pass out through a suitable vent provided for thepipe 12 and will return to the reservoir through the pipe 13 afterpassing through the preferably-elliptical tube 19, forming a portion ofthe bottom of the tub, and in order to prevent foreign matter fromentering the pipe 13, and thereby clogging the same and fouling thereservoir 10, I prefer to cover the open end of the elliptical section19 with closely meshed wirecloth, as indicated by the numeral 20.

. In order to insure that there will be a complete circulation withinthe bath-tub, I locate the open end of the elliptical section 19 at thefoot of the tub, while the pipe 12 will deliver the hot water at thehead of the tub, and it is obvious that the cooler water will pass downthrough the meshed covering 20 and thence through the elliptical tube 19into the pipe 13 and into the reservoir. By this arrangement for acomplete and rapid circulation of the waterI am enabled to very quicklyraise the temperature of the water within the tub to the desired point,as is obvious.

In order that the upper portion of the lounge may be of broadextent,sufiicient to afford a convenient form of seat or lounge, Iprefer to secure to the npperedge of the body portion and upon each sidethereof the supporting-rims 21 and 22, the former being upon the rearside of the lounge and designed to accommodate the hinges 3, while thelatter is secured to the front edge of the body and is designed toreceive the weight of the forward edge 23 of the lid, and in order toafford convenient means for locking the lid in a closed position Iprovide upon the edge thereof the catches or hooks 24, each beingdesigned to be received by a suitable recess 25, provided in the rim orflange 22, and designed to cooperate with said catches or hooks 24 isthe locking device shown in Fig. 7 and consisting of the disk 26,eccentrically secured to the shaft 27, which latter is provided with thecrank en 23, as clearly shown. Since the disk 26 is eccentricallymounted upon the shaft 27 and is provided with a recess of sufficicntsize in which to play freely to one side or the other, it is clear thatthe free edge of said disk may be thrown aside entirely out ofengagement with the hook 24 or may be so disposed that it will engagesaid hook, and thereby lock the lid of the lounge in a closed position,as more clearly set forth in Fig. 5.

It will be understood that a suitable aperture is to be provided in thesides of the body portion 1 designed to receive the shaft 27, permittingsaid shaft to be easily rotated, and thereby actuate the disk and moveit to the desired point. The crank portion 28 is so disposed that whenthe lid is in a locked position said crank will be directed inwardly,and thereby remain entirely out of sight. To insure that the upholsteryand finish of the lounge will be fully protected, I provide that asuitable covering 29 and 30 will be so disposed as not to interfere withthe operations of the bather or with the closing of the lid of thelounge when the tub is not in use.

I desire to call special attention to a certain feature of my inventionwhereby I am enabled to limit the height of my lounge to the normalpoint, and thereby avoid imparting an unduly high and unsightlyappearance to the lounge, with its accompanying bathtub. I am enabled tothus limit the height of my lounge, by providing the casing 31, which issecured to the inner side of the lid and is designed to fit within theupper portion of the bath-tub, thus making it possible to utilize saidcasing to house and hold in theirassembled operative positions thenecessary springs required to give proper support for the seat portionof the lounge. A depending frame or casing composed of a series ofhangers 32, having hooked terminals 33 and bottom ribs 34, is shown inFig. 4. This frame so constructed can be easily removed and replaced,carrying the springs with it, whereby if any part of the same should bebroken or misplaced it could be easily repaired or restored withoutdisturbance or injury to the other parts connected therewith. It isobvious that without employing the housing 31 it would be necessary toincrease the height of the lounge, so as to accommodate said springs. 7It willbeunderstoodthat the springs maybe supported in various ways,though I prefer to employ the mean's'illustrated in Fig. 4, whichconsists of a series of hangers 32, so shaped that they will extenddownward in the housing 31, each of said hangers being provided with thehooked terminals 33, designed to hook into suitable recesses provided inthe edges 23. It will be obvious that said hangers may carry any desirednumber of ribs 34, upon which any preferred number of springs 35 may bedisposed.

The housing 31 may consist of any preferred material, as sheet metal, ormay consist simply of a covering of oil-cloth or other preferred fabricadapted to impart finish and provide protection for the springs inclosedthereby.

The receptacle 8 should be provided with a suitable lid 36, properlyheld in place, as by the hinges 37, while the lid of the lounge may beheld in an open position by the latch 38, pivoted to the lid 36 andprovided with a hook designed to engage the lug or keeper 39, secured tothe lid.

It will be observed that the exterior of my combined couch and bath-tubmay be embellished in any preferred way, the object of the upholstererbeing to so dispose the exterior covering that the-line of union betweenthe body and lid will be obscured as much as possible, and since forsuch reason it will not be desirable to provide a handle by which thelid may be raised, and since said lid will fit tightly down upon thebody portion, thereby making it difficult for the lid to be opened, Iprovide means for slightly raising the free edge of the lid as soon asthe hooks 24 are released by the disks 26, said means consisting of oneof the devices illustrated in Figs. 8, 9, and 10.

In Fig. 8 I have shown the spring 40, which may be secured directly tothe upper edge of the rim 22, preferably within a recess formed therein,so that said spring will rest flush with the surface thereof when thelid is closed. In the central part of the spring I provide the stem 41,designed to take into a suitable aperture provided in the contiguouspart of the lid, and thereby sustain this part of the lid when the sameis moved from place to place, inasmuch as the lid will be held againstlongitudinal movement, the stem 41 thereby reinforcing the hooks 24.

In Fig. 9 I have illustrated a different way in which the spring 40 maybe mounted, inasmuch as I have provided a recess 42, designed for thereception of said spring, said recess being formed in the under side ofthe finishing-strip 43, designed to be secured to the upper edge of therim 22.

In Fig. 10 another form of spring (indicated by the numeral 44) isshown, which is seated in a suitable recess provided in the rim 22, theupper end of which is designed to bear against a disk attached to thestem 45, the office of said stem being the same as that of the stem 41.'A suitable vent and pipe 46 therefor are provided in the foot end of thebathtub, while the usual plug 47 is designed to close said vent. Thepipe 46 extends outward parallel with the bottom of the tub andterminates near the end of the bath-tub or at a point where it will beout of sight, though readily accessible. The free end of the pipe 46 maybe threaded, and thereby readily connected with any suitable form ofdeliverypipe, or a simple flexible hose maybe attached to said pipe,thereby enabling the water from the bath-tub to be delivered into thedrainpipe 49 or elsewhere, as desired.

It is clear that since the bath-tub may be located adjacent to aconvenient sink the desired quantity of water may be introduced into thebath-tub, as by connecting the faucet with a section of hose, asindicated by dotted lines in Fig. 1. It will of course be obvious thatin case it may be desirable to do so the tub may be permanentlyconnected with the sewer or other drainage, or the contents of the tubmay be withdrawn, as by siphoning the same with a section of flexiblehose or otherwise.

It is clear that the various parts of my invention and the elementsdesigned to cooperate therewith may be very cheaply and expeditiouslymanufactured from any preferred material and that the complete articlewill be found to be a very desirable and valuable adjunct to any home.abled to very rapidly raise the temperature of the water to the desiredpoint by the means I have illustrated, it will be possible to avoid theexpense of connecting the tub with the range or other source of heat inthe usual ex-' pensive manner. If deemed desirable to permanentlyconnect the tub with the sewer or other drain, the body portion 1 may bepermanently secured in position, though in case the drainage is to beeffected by the use of a flexible hose it may be desirable to move thelounge to different parts of the apartment, and it will therefore bedesirable to provide casters or carrying-wheels 50.

Itis clear that when the shield 29 is not in use it may be thrown withinthe tub 4 and the lid closed down in position, thus giving the articleof furniture the appearance of being a lounge only, and since it ispossible to make the various parts of my invention very cheaply or formthem more elaborately it is obvious that an article of furniturema'y beInasmuch as I am en-' provided to meet the wants of every one, bothrichand poor.

To provide that the tub proper may be very cheaply though reliablyconstructed, so as to afford a tub which will meet the requirements ofevery purpose and may be built by almost any one, whether skilled in theart or not, attention is called to Figs. 11, 12, 13, and 14.

In order that a suitable supporting-frame may be aiforded for theinterior parts comprising the tub portion proper, I provide the outercasing 51, which may be made of any suitable material and shouldcomprise end sections 51, sides 52, and a suitable bottom, properly heldtogether inany desired way, and within the interior of the casing thusor otherwise formed I mount my improved bathtub, first securing inposition a suitable number of supporting members or hangers 53, whichare each provided with the outwardlyextending terminals 54, designed torest in suitable recesses provided in the edge of the casing, as shownin Fig. 12.

To properly sustain and reinforce the sides of the tub, I first place inposition after the hangers have been adjusted the outer section,(indicated by the numeral 55,) properly formed of wire-cloth, it beingunderstood that said reinforcement of wire may extend upon both sidesand entirely across the bottom or may extend only partly across thebottom, as shown in Figs. 12 and 14, the inner edge 56 being bent inwardsuliiciently to rest upon the transverse section 57 of the hangers.

In order to provide a reliable support for my improved tub, I place uponthe sections 57 a series of boards 58, or a single board of proper widthmay be employed in lieu thereof. After the side sections of wire havethus been disposed in their operative positions and the floor secured inplace I locate thereon a covering of heavy paper or the like 59 in orderto form a non-conductor for the heat of the water within the tub. Afterthe several parts have then been disposed in their operative positions acovering 60, of zinc, tin, or the like, is placed over the layer ofpaper just referred to, it being understood that the upper edges 61, 62,and 63, respectively, of the wire, paper, and zinc coverings are bentoutward, the edges 61 and 62 being designed to be received within arecess provided in the inner edge of the casing, while the edge of thezinc covering is of sufiicient extent to cover said recess and theremaining portion of the casing, and thereby completely inclose theedges of the wire and paper, when all of said parts may be eflectivelysecured in place by strips of molding 64E, properly secured in placeupon the edge of the casing, thereby completely hiding from view theedges 61 and 62.

It is desirable that the portion of the tub between the zinc and thecasing should be strong, compact, and light and kept from adhering tothe inner walls of the casing, as its removal might be necessary. Forthis reason I make the outer portion of wire netting or cloth, which isfirm but light, and being fo in the tub may be readily raised to thedesired temperature, the means employed to effect such result being verysimple, though efiicient in character. The tub proper, 65, may beconstructed in any preferred way or may consist of the usual commercialarticle and after being adjusted in the desired position is inclosed orhoused by a suitable casing, as shown, having the series of compartments66 at one end, while at the opposite end and below the usual inclinedportion I locate the heating-reservoir (57, which in this instanceconsists of a metallic air-tight box properly supported by theleg-sections 68 and in communication with the bath-tub by means of thepipes 69 and 70, the latter being ar ranged above the former in order toinsure a circulation of the water, as the colder water will of coursepass to the heating-reservoir through the lower pipe, while the warmerwater will pass back into the tub through the upper pipe, as Will bereadily understood. In order that the requisite supply of heat may beapplied to the reservoir 67, I locate under the same the burner 71, asindicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 11, which is properly connected tothe end of the supply-pipe 72, leading to the oil-tank 73, located atany convenient point, as upon the end or seat portion 74 of the casing.By the arrangement just set forth it will be observed that I haveprovided reliable means for heating the water in the tub to the desireddegree, when, as will be readily understood, the supply of oil may becut olf by means of the valve 75, located in the supply-pipe 72. It willof course be understood that the casing, with its accompanying oil-tank,as shown in Fig. 11, may be neatly covered or upholstered and suppliedwith the top portion 2, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, in order toprovide a combined'lounge and bath-tub, in which case the oil-tank 73should be located beneath the seat portion 74, and the supply-pipe 72may be wholly hidden from View within the casing inclosing the bath-tub,it being understood that a suitable lid may be provided, by means ofwhich said parts may be rendered readily accessible.

While I have described the preferred construction and combination ofelements necessary to constitute a combined couch and bath-tub, it willbe understood that I desire to comprehend in this application thesubstantial equivalents of such construction and combination as willfairly fall within the scope and purview of my invention, and I do nottherefore wish to vbe confined strictly to the exact showing I havemade.

IIO

It will be understood that I have provided a very desirable articlewhich will be found to be a very useful adjunct to the home, both fromthe standpoint of comfort and from hygienic considerations. By means ofthe drain-pipe 46 the contents of the tub may be entirely withdrawn,thereby obviating any dampness which would otherwise result fromimperfect drainage of the tub. If the heating attachment is notemployed, the space otherwise occupied thereby and by the reservoir andoil-tank may be utilized as a convenient receptacle for clothing or thelike which it may be desired to dispose of for future use.

Believing that the advantages and construction of my improved combinedcouch and bath-tub have been made fully apparent from the foregoingspecification, considered in connection with the accompanying drawings,I will dispense with further reference to the details thereof.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. As an improvement in bath-tubs, the combination with a suitable outercasing of a series of hangers or supporting-brackets mounted in saidcasing; an outer support of wire; an inner support of paper or the likeand a covering of zinc or its equivalent, all combined in the mannerspecified and for the purpose set forth.

2. The herein-described hath-tub comprising an outer casing having arecess in its innor edge; a series of hangers mounted in said recess; anouter incasement of wire-cloth; an inner reinforcement of paper or thelike; a flooring laid upon said hangers and under said paper and wire,and a covering of sheet metal resting on said outer casin g and means tosecure the free edges of said wire, paper and metal covering in themanner specified and for the purpose set forth.

3. In an article of furniture of the character specified, a bath-tubprovided with an elliptical pipe integrally formed in the bottom thereofwhereby the smooth contour of the bottom of the tub is preserved, as setforth.

4. In an article of furniture of the character specified, thecombination with the tub,

of a heating-reservoir; an inlet-pipe 12 leading from said tub to theupper portion of said reservoir and an elliptical tube formed in thebottom of the tub; a pipe 13 connecting said elliptical tube with saidreservoir whereby a circulation may be established through saidelliptical tube and reservoir and thence back into the tub, all combinedsubstantially as specified and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

IRVING E. OARMAN.

Witnesses:

ALBERT D. BRISTOL, TADOE S. STODDARD.

